Formation of ethanol by bacteria. A pledge for the use of extreme thermophilic anaerobic bacteria in industrial ethanol fermentation processes

Summary Many anaerobic, facultatively anaerobic and even some strictly aerobic microorganisms form various amounts of ethanol from glucose. Only few mesophilic and extreme thermophilic bacteria ferment glucose stoichiometrically to 2 ethanol and 2 carbondioxid. Biotechnological processes at elevated temperatures seem advantageous in many respects. Hence, thermophiles and extreme thermophiles can potentially substitute for yeast in ethanol production on an industrial scale. Advantages and disadvantages of thermophilic mixed cultures and of potentially useful organisms are discussed.Acknowledgment. This work was partly supported by Energy and Research Development Administration contract number EY-76-509-0888-M003 and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.